Once all moderating forces have been "purged" by Kim, NK's neighbors should be really scared. China has some massive firepower, but I hope they don't feel the need to act preemptively if they still have some leverage with Kim.

Staff: Mentor

This event should focus attention on the increasing belligerence of China, as it is they that are the real restraint on lunatic behavior by N. Korea.

China has had long conflicting interests w/ N. Korea. Like the rest of the world they don't want a lunatic nuclear capable government, especially on its border; on the other hand they will tolerate almost any action other than suffer a US-backed toppling of the N. Korean dictatorship leading to a free, democratic Korea on its border.

As China becomes more militant, a nut in N. Korea might calculate he can now attack Seoul, even Japan, and avoid a catastrophic response from the US.

Staff: Admin

North Korea has summoned back business people working out of the north-eastern Chinese cities of Shenyang and Dandong, sources told the South Korean news agency Yonhap.
. . . .
Another source told the agency Pyongyang planned to bring all officials and staff home from China in stages.
. . . .

I wonder what it's like to work with such a person. I guess one has to be careful not to get on his bad side.

They almost certainly won't let someone go overseas without holding on to some dear family member as leverage. The old Soviet Union was in the habit of doing something similar with high-ranking KGB officers, etc.

I doubt that he will die a natural death. My question is, will he be killed by his countrymen or by foreign powers?

I don't think he will die anytime soon. He seems to be paranoid enough, that he'll kill off anyone he suspects of treason. If he were assassinated by foreign powers, he would be replaced with someone just like him. Just like he did. In other words, business as usual, as Greg pointed out.

A Taiwanese colleague of mine says there is a rumor that Kim Jong's next target for execution is his own wife, for marrying someone else. He has already executed all others from the music band she once belonged to, few months ago.

Thanks for the link phinds. The link you have points to this one:
http://www.straitstimes.com/the-big-story/asia-report/china/story/jangs-execution-bodes-ill-china-20131224 [Broken]
which sheds some light on why Kim executed his uncle. It states that Jang Song Thaek (Kim's uncle) had ties to China and was sympathetic to China. This part seems to sum up the underlying issue.

In purging a top official known for his close ties with Beijing in such a brutal manner, Pyongyang did not hide its antagonism towards China.

The official litany of Jang's treason implicated China three times. Jang was accused of underselling coal and other natural resources for which China was virtually the sole customer. He was also charged with "selling off the land of Rason economic and trade zone to a foreign country for a period of five decades under the pretext of paying debts". Finally, he was accused of selling precious metals, thus disrupting the country's financial stability. In fact, China purchased some of North Korea's gold reserves several months ago.

He was also accused of aiding Chinese businessmen in securing low prices for North Korean goods and commodities.

The purge of Jang reflected the longstanding suspicion and apprehension of the North Korean regime towards China, which dates back to the time of Kim Il Sung, North Korea's founder.

Although China fought the Korean War to preserve the Kim regime, he was less than grateful. Once the war was over, Kim started purging the Yan-an faction within his party.